# Catbells Parking

> There is no car park at Catbells: one layby with eight spaces and double yellow lines on the lane. Where to park instead in 2026, with prices from the operators: Keswick Lakeside, Park and Sail at the rugby club, Little Town and the National Trust's Bowder Stone car park.

Source: https://catbells.uk/parking/

The honest answer first: you probably won't park at Catbells. Here's what there is at the start, what the yellow lines mean, and the car parks that work with the boat, the bus or a different way up.

### There Is No Car Park at Catbells

The National Trust puts it plainly: there is no permanent car park at Catbells, only a couple of laybys, and the one at the start has **eight spaces**. The road from Portinscale to Grange along the foot of the fell has had permanent **double yellow lines** (no waiting at any time) on various lengths since **10 January 2024**, and they are enforced: a ticket is **£70** (£35 if paid within 14 days). The National Park Authority asks drivers not to park on them because emergency vehicles can't get through. **Plan on the launch, the bus or the walk from Keswick**, and treat a space in the layby as a bonus.

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [cumberland.gov.uk](https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-12/Keswick%20Notice.pdf), [cumberland.gov.uk](https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/parking/pay-parking-ticket), [lakedistrict.gov.uk](https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/explore/places-to-go/explore-derwentwater-and-keswick/getting-to-cat-bells/), [nationaltrust.org.uk](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/car-parks-in-borrowdale-and-derwent-water)

## Which Car Park?

![The stony path leaving the narrow road at the foot of Catbells, with Derwentwater behind](https://catbells.uk/assets/photos/catbells-start-path-960.webp)

*Where the path leaves the road at the foot of the north ridge. Photo: [Gareth James](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Start_of_the_path_to_Cat_Bells_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4532829.jpg), [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)*

- **Easiest:** park in Keswick and cross the lake. Lakeside car park is five minutes' walk from the launch pier; the rugby club is cheaper for a full day and gets you 15% off the boat.
- **Closest:** the Gutherscale layby, eight spaces at the start of the path. Go early or not at all.
- **From the Newlands side:** the small honesty-box parking at Little Town, for a quieter way up by Hause Gate.
- **From Borrowdale:** the National Trust's Bowder Stone car park, then the [walk from Grange](https://catbells.uk/walks/catbells-from-grange/).
- **Without a car:** [the launch and the buses](https://catbells.uk/getting-there/).

| Where | For the walk | Spaces | Walk to the top |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Gutherscale Layby](https://catbells.uk/parking/#gutherscale) | Free | 8 | about 50 min |
| [Little Town (Chapel Bridge)](https://catbells.uk/parking/#little-town) | Honesty box (amount not confirmed) | A small parking area by the bridge and a few verge spaces | about 1 h |
| [Bowder Stone Car Park](https://catbells.uk/parking/#bowder-stone-cp) | £8.00 (4 hours), £9.50 (all day) | About 60 | about 1 h 30 |
| [Keswick Rugby Club (Park and Sail)](https://catbells.uk/parking/#keswick-rugby-club) | £5.00 to £6.00 a day | About 200 to 250 | about 2 h |
| [Lakeside Car Park, Keswick](https://catbells.uk/parking/#keswick-lakeside) | £9.00 (6 hours) | 253 | about 2 h |

Walk times are to the summit at an even pace, without stops. From the two Keswick car parks the walk is long because it goes round the head of the lake: with the launch it's about 1 hour 30 from car to summit, plus any wait for a boat.

## Map of the Car Parks

Loading the map…

*Map: © [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright) contributors, [OpenFreeMap](https://openfreemap.org). Routes drawn by us from OpenStreetMap. Brown and green dots are car parks (green = free), blue dots are boat jetties and bus stops: tap one for details.*

## Every Place to Park in Detail

### Gutherscale Layby Free

| Postcode | CA12 5UE (approximate: rural postcodes cover a wide area, so use the map link) |
| --- | --- |
| Spaces | 8. The only parking at the start of the path |
| Prices | Free |
| Toilets | No |
| Rules | The road either side has double yellow lines. If the layby is full, don't wait or squeeze onto the verge: go back to Keswick and take the launch or the bus. |
| When it fills | Usually full early. The National Trust's advice is to arrive before 9am, or to come by boat or bus. |
| Walk to the top | About 50 min (1.5 km (0.9 miles), 300 m of climbing, via the path that joins the north ridge above the road) |
| Find it | [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=54.57947,-3.16876) · [Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=Gutherscale%20Layby&ll=54.57947,-3.16876) · grid ref NY 245 211 |

Space count and postcode from the National Trust's Borrowdale parking page; the Trust doesn't say who runs the layby. OpenStreetMap records it as free, with room for about 12 cars.

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [nationaltrust.org.uk](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/car-parks-in-borrowdale-and-derwent-water), [openstreetmap.org](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/385113537)

### Little Town (Chapel Bridge) Pay

| Postcode | CA12 5TU (approximate: rural postcodes cover a wide area, so use the map link) |
| --- | --- |
| Spaces | A small parking area by the bridge and a few verge spaces |
| Prices | Honesty box (amount not confirmed) |
| Pay by | Coins in the honesty box |
| Toilets | No |
| When it fills | Small, on a narrow valley road: go early. |
| Walk to the top | About 1 h (2.5 km (1.6 miles), 300 m of climbing, via Little Town and the old mine track to Hause Gate) |
| Find it | [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=54.56387,-3.18992) · [Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=Little%20Town%20%28Chapel%20Bridge%29&ll=54.56387,-3.18992) · grid ref NY 231 193 |

Layby and postcode from the National Trust's Borrowdale parking page; the honesty box is reported by the Keswick Tourism Association. We don't yet have the number of spaces or the suggested amount.

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [nationaltrust.org.uk](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/car-parks-in-borrowdale-and-derwent-water), [keswick.org](https://www.keswick.org/what-to-do/walking-routes/newlands-valley-walk)

### Bowder Stone Car Park Pay

| Run by | National Trust |
| --- | --- |
| Postcode | CA12 5XA (approximate: rural postcodes cover a wide area, so use the map link) |
| Spaces | About 60 |
| Prices | Up to 2 hours £7.00 Up to 4 hours £8.00 All day £9.50 |
| Free for | National Trust members (scan your card) |
| Pay by | Coins at the machine (the Trust says not every Borrowdale machine takes cards, so bring change); JustPark app at many of its car parks |
| Rules | Charges apply at all times. No overnight parking. |
| Walk to the top | About 1 h 30 (4.3 km (2.6 miles), 400 m of climbing, via Grange, then our walk from Grange) |
| Find it | [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=54.54123,-3.15518) · [Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=Bowder%20Stone%20Car%20Park&ll=54.54123,-3.15518) · grid ref NY 253 168 |

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [nationaltrust.org.uk](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/car-parks-in-borrowdale-and-derwent-water)

### Keswick Rugby Club (Park and Sail) Pay

| Run by | Keswick Rugby Club |
| --- | --- |
| Address | Crow Park Road, Keswick CA12 5EG |
| Spaces | About 200 to 250 |
| Prices | All day, gravel car park by the pitch £5.00 All day, tarmac car park by the clubhouse £6.00 |
| Pay by | Pay on exit (number-plate cameras): cash, card or phone |
| Rules | Park and Sail: 15% off Keswick Launch tickets for the driver and passengers. No campervans or motorhomes. |
| Walk to the top | About 2 h (6.2 km (3.8 miles), 420 m of climbing, via Portinscale on foot. With the launch: 10 to 15 minutes' walk to the pier, 10 minutes on the direct boat, then about 1 hour up) |
| Find it | [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=54.60066,-3.14386) · [Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=Keswick%20Rugby%20Club%20%28Park%20and%20Sail%29&ll=54.60066,-3.14386) · grid ref NY 262 234 (approximate: follow the signs to the rugby club from Crow Park Road) |

Prices, spaces and payment reported by the Keswick Tourism Association (the club's own website has lapsed, checked 14 Oct 2026); the National Park Authority confirms the 15% launch discount. The National Trust's page gives a lower all-day price, so expect to pay £4 to £6.

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [keswick.org](https://www.keswick.org/visitor-information/car-parks), [lakedistrict.gov.uk](https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/explore/places-to-go/explore-derwentwater-and-keswick/getting-to-cat-bells/)

### Lakeside Car Park, Keswick Pay

| Run by | Cumberland Council |
| --- | --- |
| Address | Lake Road, Keswick CA12 5DJ |
| Spaces | 253 (6 accessible) |
| Prices | Up to 2 hours £3.80 Up to 3 hours £6.50 Up to 6 hours £9.00 Up to 12 hours £11.40 Overnight, 7pm to 7am £1.10 |
| Pay by | Cash, card or contactless at the machine; MiPermit by phone (location 712223) |
| Toilets | Yes |
| Rules | A Catbells trip by launch takes 4 to 5 hours with the boat both ways, so buy the 6-hour ticket. The toilets cost 50p, card only. |
| When it fills | The nearest car park to the launch pier, so it's busy on fine days and in school holidays. |
| Walk to the top | About 2 h (6.8 km (4.3 miles), 420 m of climbing, via Portinscale on foot. With the launch: 5 minutes' walk to the pier, 10 minutes on the direct boat, then about 1 hour up) |
| Find it | [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=54.59609,-3.13812) · [Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=Lakeside%20Car%20Park%2C%20Keswick&ll=54.59609,-3.13812) · grid ref NY 265 229 |

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · source: [cumberland.gov.uk](https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/parking/find-car-park-near-you/lakeside-long-stay-car-park-keswick), [cumberland.gov.uk](https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/your-environment/find-public-toilet/lakeside-car-park-keswick-public-toilets)

## The Field That Sometimes Opens

On some busy days a field near the start is opened for parking. It's run privately by the Lingholm estate under the rule that lets a field be used for up to 28 days a year, it closes after rain, and the National Trust's advice is not to bank on it being open. The Keswick Reminder reported in August 2025 that it holds 130 to 150 cars. We don't list it as a car park because we can't tell you which days it's open or what it costs: if you see the signs, it's a bonus.

A permanent 150-space car park at Ullock Moss, between Portinscale and Catbells, was refused by the National Park Authority for a third time in November 2025, so nothing is about to change.

## How Strict Are the Yellow Lines?

Strict. The Keswick Reminder, quoting Cumberland Council's own parking report, found that the road along the foot of Catbells had **1,291 parking tickets in 2023/24**, more than any other road in the council's area. The National Park Authority's reason is simple: cars parked on the lines can stop the emergency services getting through. If there's no marked space, there's no space.

## Tips

- **Before 9am** is the National Trust's advice for the layby. On a fine weekend or in school holidays, even that may be too late.
- **Have a plan B before you leave Keswick.** Don't count on waiting for someone to leave. If the layby's full, go back and take the boat.
- **The 6-hour ticket** at Lakeside (£9.00) covers the boat both ways and the classic walk with time to spare.
- **Coins for Borrowdale.** The National Trust warns that not all of its machines there take cards.
- **Camper vans:** the rugby club doesn't take them, and the lane to Hawes End is narrow.

Spotted a price change? Please [tell us](https://catbells.uk/contact/) and we'll update this page.